When you think of hip-hop the phrase "Gambian hip hop" doesn't exactly
spring to mind. But then again if you're to believe what you see on MTV
then you'd think that America was the only place that hip-hop was happening
again. You'd also believe that the only artists were Nelly and Eminem but
that's another matter. The fact is that reach out to places like Gambia
or France or indeed dear old blighty and you'll find thriving hip-hop scenes
which strive for innovation rather than a collaboration with J-LO or Justin
Timberlake.

The fact then that a band like Da Fugitivz can travel continents and
tour the length and breadth of the country into the hearts of real hip-hop
fans speaks volumes. Winning the Best New Band Award at the Gambian Music
Awards was just a stepping stone for this 5 piece who truly deserve global
domination. Mixing up ragga, R&B and hip hop styles with traditional
instrumentation the result is a surprisingly contemporary mash up like
mixing Timbaland and the Neptunes into a melting pot and scrapping any
of these production teams tedious formulas. Naturally their surroundings
provide a unique voice vocalizing the history and problems of their native
country in the sort of social commentary you'd hear from the likes of Public
Enemy or Tupac.

It may just be early days for these guys in the UK, but with the current
state of US McHip-Hop it can't be long before the general public starts
looking elsewhere for the true voice of hip-hop. Da Fugitivz not only deliver
that voice, but their live shows are a tour de force with only Run DMC
matching them in recent years in terms of classic Manchester performances.